Youngest elected official, former pro wrestler turned gubernatorial candidate among top 17 Illinoisans to remember in 2017

CHICAGO (Heartland Newsfeed) — An 18-year-old high school senior who became the youngest elected official for a local office and a former professional wrestler turned Libertarian gubernatorial candidate have earned a spot on the top 17 Illinoisans to remember from the year 2017.

The compiled list by Patch Illinois editor Tim Moran highlights 17 key Illinoisans who made the news cycles this year.

One of the selections, Jake Leahy, made the news in April becoming the youngest elected official in the Chicagoland region by running for an uncontested seat on the board of education for Bannockburn District #106. Leahy was a senior at the time of the election and has since graduated.

Another selection, “The Illustrious One” Jon Stewart, a former professional wrestler turned used car salesman, made news earlier this year when he, among two other candidates — Grayson “Kash” Jackson and Matthew C. Scaro — declared their intent to run for the Libertarian Party of Illinois nomination, which will take place in March 2018.

In his interview with Deerfield Patch columnist Jonah Meadows, Stewart stated that Illinois “is run by a hierarchy, a ponzi scheme of politicians, where the bottom people on the ponzi scheme — we, the voters — are going to lose the most.”

Both articles, which were written by Meadows, have been linked to in this article and can be accessed by clicking on their names.

Jake Leonard is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. He is general manager of Heartland Internet Media Networks and an active contributor to four newspapers for Pana News Group. He also serves as chairman of Tri-Counties Libertarian Party and Capital Area Libertarian Party, deputy candidate recruitment director for the Libertarian Party of Illinois and as chairman/co-founder of the Libertarian Party Millennial Caucus.